Doorway of Demons: The Inferno Keys Book One
by Just Another Fanatic
Summary: Something is happening in Chicago, and it's up to Laura Lovelace, Liz Whitelaw, and the new family in town, the Marshals, to find out what is happening and put an end to it before it tears the city apart. As well, who is this handsome mechanic and why does he keep showing up at the scene?


_So am I as the rich, whose blessed key  
__Can bring him to his sweet up-locked treasure,  
__The which he will not every hour survey,  
__For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.  
__Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare,  
__Since, seldom coming, in the long year set,  
__Like stones of worth they thinly placed are,  
__Or captain jewels in the carconet.  
__So is the time that keeps you as my chest,  
__Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide,  
__To make some special instant special blest,  
__By new unfolding his imprison'd pride.  
__Blessed are you, whose worthiness gives scope,  
__Being had, to triumph, being lack'd, to hope_.

-William Shakespeare, Sonnet 52

* * *

The Marshals

Splashes of water flew up with each pounding step as a red-haired girl sprinted down the street. She was strong and gifted, but not suicidal. And it wasn't even supposed to be a hunt.

But nearly ten demons on one, barely armed, unmarked girl. She fumbled with her stele, nearly dropping it as she rounded a corner. The rain had already thoroughly soaked her, and the rod was slippery, but she got a better grip and was able to scribble a good enough swiftness rune on her left wrist to speed her steps just enough to stay out of reach a few minutes longer.

The Mundanes noticed nothing, all with their heads bowed under their umbrellas. A few glanced in the girl's direction, or jumped out of the way of the demons without really seeing them. The girl had seen this before, and was not surprised.

"Get down," she heard a voice as she turned into an alley. There were no Mundanes, but there were four blonde Shadowhunters, all wore gear and each held a seraph blade or two, with more weapons in their belts. The one that yelled threw a knife, and she saw just enough of the blade as it whizzed past for her to see runes.

The knife buried itself in the forehead of the leading demon. And then the four all jumped into action, slashed at the remaining demons with glowing seraph blades. Ichor burst from demon wounds.

There were two boys and two girls. The older boy worked with one seraph blade. His strikes were swift and exact and calculated. The number of times he struck out at a demon was less than the others, but each of his strikes was a kill.

The other boy was much more defensive. He was the only of them that really had to back up at any point of the battle. However, with each move, he managed at least two slices with his seraph blades, one in each of the hands. His kill rate, however, was slowest, killing only one completely.

The older of the girls, with curly hair, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, was a bit crazy. She was the most aggressive, and managed to get the must blows. She, of course, also managed to get the most ichor on her, not that she seemed to notice. She yelled, running forward, slicing her blade into one demon neck, and then brought the blade slicing upward, splitting the neck and right up through the skull. The demon was gone before she even finished the move.

And the youngest was the most graceful. She, indeed, seemed too young to be fighting, but considering that she easily managed two, and had the least amount of ichor land on her skin, there was nothing to be said against her.

Within a few minutes, the demons had been destroyed and returned to their home dimensions. The oldest boy turned to the red-headed girl, who was crouched against a wall now. He offered her a hand to help her stand, and she graciously took it.

"What were you doing with that number of demons on your tail?" he asked, an accent now evident. He was breathing hard from the excitement of battle.

"Oh, you know," the girl said, wishing now that she had something to see her reflection in. She knew her make-up was disastrous. "What's a day without a good escape from certain death. Granted, I usually check out those demon hide-outs while the sun is up and they can't follow..." She smiled at him, and at the others too, but mostly him. His hair was plastered to his face from the rain, but she could tell that he was handsome, even in the dim lights of the alley. And he was tall, like she was, with a strong, lean, graceful build. "I'm Laura," she finally introduced herself. "And I'm not new around here, so I suspect you are..."

"Yep," the older of the two girls answered. She was the only one that had anything dry about her, due to her hat. "We are the Marshals. I'm Madison, that there is Mitchell," she pointed at the younger of the boys. Then at the other girl. "That's Verona, but call her Ronni."

"And I'm Felton," the one that had helped her up said. "We just came up from Texas."

"Oh," Laura nodded, her blue eyes traveling between the four children. She knew the story, her father had told her two nights earlier. The Marshals had been stationed in Dallas, where the shadow world had been increasingly growing. However, when a Clave member from New York stopped overnight in Dallas, staying at the Institute, they were shocked that the family running the Institute was allowing all the demon hunting and the law-upholding to be done by the four children, while the parents were living in comfort. The parents had been recalled to Idris, to face trial, and the children had been given the choice to return as well or to be stationed at a different Institute. All four had chosen to remain together, and had been moved to Chicago.

"So, where is ya'lls Institute?" Madison asked, looking around. "I know it's supposed to be right around here, but we can't seem to find it."

"Behind you," Laura said, motioning to a twenty floor apartment complex. "It's not was you would call your typical Institute."

The Chicago Institute was unlike any other Clave Institute, as it was easily visible to Mundanes. It was on hallowed ground, but when the original church had burnt down, it had been rebuilt as a single building post-secondary education school, a small Catholic college. However, the man with the vision of the school had died before it could be fully established, funds ran out, and it had been unable to earn accreditation. The Clave had been able to buy it easily and transfer it into a Nephilim Institute.

"Just because it has a cross on the roof doesn't make it a church," Mitchell said, frowning at the Institute.

"It's still on hallowed ground, so don't worry," Laura said. "But at least we have cable... and a rooftop heated pool... a jacuzzi, a sauna, massage chairs, steam baths... top two floors are amazing!"

"I like this place already," Ronni, the youngest said. She was ringing her long hair out, even though they were still in the rain. Laura opened the gate, letting them in. It closed behind them automatically, and then Laura punched in a code on the key pad. After that, she placed her hand on the door, and a few moments later, it opened.

"You have to punch in a code and ask for permission from the angels to get in?" Mitchell asked.

"Extra security precaution," Laura said with a shrug. "It was my dad's idea. He is a bit..."

"Over-protective?" Felton asked.

"Cautious?" Ronni asked.

"Untrusting?" Madison questioned.

"A whack-job?" That was Mitchell. He received three smacks on the back of his head from his siblings.

"No, he's right," Laura said. "But my dad can be all three of those things as well."

The entrance of the Institute looked like the entrance to a modern church. It appeared almost as a lobby, with a wide set of double doors straight from the entrance which led into an ornate church. There were halls down both left and right, one appearing to lead to what may have been offices or classrooms while the other led to the floor restrooms and the elevator. This was the way Laura led the siblings.

"Rooms are on the eighth through eleventh floors," she said as the elevator door opened. "You'll all be on the eighth with Liz and me."

"And Liz is... your younger sister?" Mitchell asked. "Say, about my age?"

"She's fifteen, if that's what you're hoping for," Laura said. "But she's not my sister. She came here when her mother died a few years ago. She didn't want to live with her father..." Laura stopped speaking for a few moments, looking down at the pointed toes of her boots.

"Why didn't she want to live with her dad?" Mitchell asked.

"That's not any of your business," Felton said, slapping Mitchell on the back of the head a second time. "You don't have to answer that. It's probably Liz's question to answer as it is."

"It is," Laura said with a nod. Her blue eyes were on the numbers at the top of the elevator, watching each light up as they arrived at each floor. Finally it hit eight and stopped, opening to a hall that didn't seem much like any of the Institutes the Marshals had heard of. The halls weren't stone with huge tapestries or suits of armor or great mahogany doors. The doors were all simple, probably pine, and the hall was all white with a few photos of Chicago, along with framed posters of famous art pieces that could be found in the Chicago museums. Because it's original intention had been as a dorm hall, there were communal bathrooms.

Before the Marshals had arrived, Laura had been one of two living on the eighth floor. Her parents lived up on the eleventh along with the one-year-old baby of the Institute. They were up there to be closer to the library and their office and meeting room. Laura and Liz, essentially, each had their own bathroom, with three showers, three toilets, and four sinks each. Now, however, Laura would have to give her bathroom to the two boys, and all four girls would have to share one, unless they wanted to use any of the bathrooms on the ninth or tenth floors.

Laura knew Liz would not be happy with the new arrangement, and assumed that one shower would be designated as 'Liz's stall.'

"Why are the rooms so boring?" Madison asked looking at the room Laura showed her.

"Well, you can paint and decorate if you like," Laura said slowly, thinking a bit on it. "Your stuff all arrives tomorrow so I assume your sheets will be with it all, but this should do for tonight, right?" She looked at the siblings again, and remembered that they, like herself, were all wet, and probably cold and tired. She decided to finish the bit of tour quickly and she'd give them the detailed tour the next day. "The showers are on either side of the elevator, and they are marked for gender."

"Is it me or are these almost like dorm rooms?" Ronni asked, peering into the room that Laura had indicated for her.

"It's not just you," a voice said from one of the doors behind the group. The four Marshals all jumped and spun around. Laura just smirked.

"Meet Liz," Laura said, turning as well after a moment.

Liz swept her eyes over the group. "You do realize that you're all wet," she said. She brushed some of her long black hair off her shoulders, where it quickly settled again. Instinctively, she began to spin one of the green streaks in her hair. The fifteen earrings she had in her ears were each different studs, except for the two dangling gothic crosses which matched the one dangling from her black choker. She wore a black pleated skirt which was frayed at the bottom, a mint green crop top, and a loose leather jacket which matched her black combat boots. Laura knew that the boots each carried a seraph blade and that they were lined with electrum for when Liz had to kick at a demon.

"You look like you're going out," Laura said.

"Not unless the rain lets up," Liz said. Her gold eyes looked over the group again. "Don't exactly want to end up looking like you lot."

"You could carry an umbrella, if you're concerned about the rain," Ronni said.

"And spoil her bad girl look?" Laura questioned. She shook her head. "You four should probably do what I'm about to do, and that's get warm." She pointed at the two remaining opened rooms where Mitchell and Felton were to stay, allowing them to work out who got which room. She noted in her head which room Felton chose before stepping into her own room, which was marked with her name.

* * *

Felton found that the room was already stocked with certain amenities. In the closet he found a stack of two basic white towels and a thin bathrobe. He was surprised that the room had a mini fridge and a microwave, and there were a few snacks along with a note from an Iliana Lovelace... Laura's mother, he assumed. It basically said that he had more or less free reign of the Institute, feel free to ask questions, and that his and his siblings things were due to arrive around noon the next day.

As he was still wet, he carefully stripped off his gear and pulled on the bathrobe. He hoped that the bathroom would be stocked with soap, because he didn't have any.

When he walked into the male bathroom, he was surprised to hear someone in one of the shower stalls. "Mitchell, is that you?" he asked as he hung his things from some peg hooks to dry.

"No," the voice came. It was Laura. "I'm just grabbing my shower things... because when there were just two girls... well..."

"I have two sisters, I get it," he said with a chuckle.

"Are... are you decent?" Laura asked, sounding a little nervous.

"Um... decent in what respect?" Felton asked. He wasn't entirely sure how to take that question. Was it some strange Chicago insult?

"Clothed," Laura clarified. "If I come out, I'm not going to find you stark nude, am I?"

"Oh, decent..." That made a lot of sense. "Yeah, I'm in this cheap bathrobe I found in my room."

"Cheap?" Laura feigned insult walking out of the stall. "Our maid Lucy went and ordered those by the dozen from the same company that the Holiday Inns use for their bathrobes." She clucked a few times as she shook her head. "That must be at least two dollars of material you're wearing."

Felton smiled at her. She was wearing light blue sleep shorts, black knee high super fuzzy socks, and a bright blue tee that brought out her blue eyes perfectly. He hadn't really gotten a good look at her while outside, and had been a bit distracted by the very not Institute like Institute while she gave the tour, unlike his brother who had been paying very close attention to Laura's body. Getting a good look at her, still under the wreckage of the rain, he could see that she was very pretty. She had pale skin, with naturally blushed cheeks, just a few freckles dotting her nose, and it was a clear complexion that Ronni would appreciate. Her hair, which was a pale red, was falling around her head in gentle waves, still wet but apparently drying as his own hair was. She was thin and toned, but had the body of a young woman, not a girl.

He noticed that she had a small basket of toiletry items, and there seemed to be several things that were strawberry scented. "There wouldn't happen to be some soap bars stocked somewhere?" he asked. He could have asked to borrow her things, but his male pride wouldn't stand for him to smell of strawberries, though he thought it would suit her, with her red hair and all.

Laura thought for a moment, biting her lower lip lightly as she thought. "There should be some in the supply closet," she said. "I'll show you... I guess you'll need to know anyway." She nodded her head, indicating him to follow as she walked out of the bathroom. She led him to the end of the hall. The very last door led to a staircase. The one directly next to the stair case was a supply closet, while the door across from the closet was the trash room. The room had two shoots, one for trash, and one for recyclables. "I think we're the only Institute that has caught up to the modern world," Laura said. "I'm surprised my mother hasn't started a compost heap, but we really don't have use for that as we don't have a garden... yet."

"What do you mean yet?" Felton asked, finding generic soap and shampoo in the closet.

"Well, my mother is pregnant, and with two babies in the Institute, she'll probably want something she can do in the grounds that is outside," Laura said.

"Two babies?" Felton asked.

"Uh, yeah," Laura said. "I guess you don't know about Ava... she's just fifteen months now. You'll meet her tomorrow." She waved off the topic. "Anyway, go, get warm, shower or whatever you need to do. I'm actually going to go tell my parents that you've arrived so they don't start to worry."

"Something tells me you're the one they should be worried about," Felton said. He stopped and looked at her for a moment. "How did you end up with that slew of demons chasing after you, anyway?"

"I'm not even sure half the time," Laura said. "But, this particular time was because I entered the wrong shop at the wrong time. It's owned and run by a werewolf, and I was trying to pick up a present for Liz, for her birthday. Turned out that the demons were trying to get some information on the Shadowhunters in the area. The werewolf outed me when I walked in. Which reminds me, I'll have to tell my father that as well. Can't very well be having the Downworlders outing all the Chicago Nephilim." By this time, they were at the elevator again. "It's been a pleasure speaking with you, Felton Marshal. Breakfast is served tomorrow, and every morning, at eight. You might want to tell your siblings as well." She pressed a button on the elevator and stepped in when the door opened.

Felton sighed when the door closed, a small smile on his lips.

"You know, I think I can get used to living here," Mitchell said, a knowing smile on the younger boy's lips. "Two hot girls, one for each of us."

Felton smirked just a bit. "In your dreams, little brother. You couldn't attract a girl if you were the last man alive."

Mitchell responded by sticking his tongue out at Felton, to which Felton threw the bar of soap at Mitchell. "You need it more than I do."

* * *

Laura knocked on her father's office lightly. She heard a muffled 'Enter,' and walked in. Her father's desk was over-flowed with papers and and books. Her mother was the organized book keeper, so since her pregnancy had taken over her life, Lorne Lovelace was in a constant state mess.

Lorne looked up at Laura and smiled. The red in Laura's hair had come from her father, though Lorne's hair was a dark red, but graying at the edges from the stress. His skin had a darker complexion than his daughters, and he had light brown eyes. He smiled seeing Laura standing in the doorframe. "Laura, sweetie," he said. "Why do you look like you were soaked to the bone?"

"I kind of lost my umbrella," Laura said. "Stabbed it into a demon's eye... which was effective at the very least, though apparently not lethal."

"Demon?" Lorne questioned. "I thought you were going shopping."

"I was... did..." Laura said. "There just happened to be a slight detour."

Lorne groaned a bit and rubbed his brow. Demons were really becoming a problem in the Chicago area. Just in the last month alone three Nephilim had died while fighting demons, which didn't include the injuries.

"The Marshals are here," Laura said. "They seem nice enough, and very adept at fighting. I showed them to the rooms Mom had Lucy prepare for them. I'll give them the full tour tomorrow."

"That's good," Lorne said. "Don't have to worry about them arriving safe anymore. Just about keeping them safe."

"Don't worry, Dad," Laura said. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Lorne lowered his gaze at Laura, in a shared secret that the two had. "Get dried and get some rest. I suspect that tomorrow will be a long day. Liz turning fifteen and all."

"Don't worry, Dad," Laura said. "It should be a good day."

Laura took the stairs down, as she was only traveling one flight. She approached her parents room and knocked lightly to let her mother know she was coming in. The rooms on the eleventh floor were made for what would have been the teachers if the Institute had actually become a school. The rooms were bigger, and each came with its own bathroom, which Lucy kept constantly stocked. It was where the adults that came to the Institute stayed, especially the ones that would be staying for extended periods. Her parents had the Headmaster's suite, which was the biggest room of all, and had enough room for a king-sized bed and an alcove for a sofa. The sofa had been replaced recently with a crib, and soon a second crib would be squeezed into the area. The lights were dim, and Iliana was watching her favorite soap opera, wearing her earbuds so that the toddler wouldn't be woken by the noise.

Iliana was beautiful, and had almost an ageless appearance. She had a pale complexion, a few shades lighter than Laura's skin, and white blonde hair with big, dark blue eyes. She had a swollen belly, being seven months pregnant. As was tradition with the Nephilim, she didn't know anything about the baby, gender or so on. She would give a home birth with Lucy and Laura acting as midwives.

"Laura, darling," Iliana said, pausing her show on the computer, taking out the earbuds, and rocking herself out of the bed. Laura came across the room to hug her mother.

"How's she doing?" Laura asked. Iliana knew that Laura meant Ava.

"She won't drink the milk from the sippy cup," Iliana said. She followed Laura as the seventeen-year-old went to stand over the crib. "She'll probably be thirsty."

Even though she knew that she should let Ava sleep, Laura bent down and lightly ran her fingers through Ava's fine red hair. Ava was small for a toddler of her age, but she was full of energy and very picky about everything, but also beautiful.

The light touch from Laura woke the little girl up, and she cried for a moment, but stopped when Laura picked the baby up.

"Your father will not be happy, Laura," Iliana said as Laura walked to the bed and took a seat. Ava was rubbing her eyes, but happy to be in Laura's arms as Laura sat down.

"Could you lock the door?" Laura asked as she grabbed a pillow from behind her, laying Ava on it. And then she lifted her shirt, bringing Ava to her bared breast. "It's more natural for her to drink from her mother's milk anyway."

Iliana looked at her daughter with sad eyes as Ava began to drink her fill of milk from Laura.

* * *

**Before i post anymore of this story, I'm going to finish reading City of Heavenly Fire and Clockwork Princess. Until then, please review. **


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